Speaking the other day to a gathering of businesspeople from across the country, I mentioned the subdued nature of the election and my thoughts as to its reasons. I was surprised to get no push-back afterward, even from political enthusiasts, only agreement.

But the news: When conversation turned to the vice presidential nominee, I said we all know the names of those being considered, spoke of a few, and then said Condoleezza Rice might be a brilliant choice.

Here spontaneous applause burst forth.

Consider: A public figure of obvious and nameable accomplishment whose attainments can’t be taken away from her. Washington experience—she wouldn’t be learning on the job. Never run for office but no political novice. An academic, but not ethereal or abstract. A woman in a year when Republicans aren’t supposed to choose a woman because of what is now called the 2008 experience—so the choice would have a certain boldness. A black woman in a campaign that always threatens to take on a painful racial overlay. A foreign-policy professional acquainted with everyone who’s reigned or been rising the past 20 years.

I should add here the look on the faces of the people who were applauding. They looked surprised by their own passion. Actually they looked relieved, like a campaign was going on and big things might happen and maybe it could get kind of . . . exciting.

So today Romney goes to the NAALCP convention. One of the names that is also on this list that shows up now and then but not in every story about it, is Condoleezza Rice. Now, I don’t have any idea who Romney’s gonna choose, but when I saw this story yesterday, “Romney May Name Running Mate Early in Election Race,” I thought, “Why?”

This is awful early to name a VP.

Of course, the Reuters headline says “may name.” But it’s a fairly lengthy story about what the advantages in doing so could be, and they list the people that are possible. It mentions here, “Romney is also considering whether to name a woman, his wife, Ann, said.” To the team of people that would select a running mate. And I’ve seen Condoleezza Rice’s name mentioned off and on. Here goes Romney to the NAALCP. What are the odds that he would pick Condoleezza Rice next week, coming off of this speech to the NAALCP?

(interruption)

You think zero? Why?

Of course, when Obama chose Biden, there was no criticism. He chose a lunatic. He chose a plagiarist. And now the guy, Biden, is out there telling sex jokes. Did you hear about this? I think we’ve got it in the Stack here. Biden. Who was he talking to? Was it an Hispanic group? He was talking to some group of people about how small the house was where he grew up and how thin the walls were and how his parents managed to “get away with it” nevertheless.

I kid you not. (laughing) Honestly! It was La Raza. Biden was talking to La Raza. He said (paraphrased), “We had all the ingredients: Small room, thin walls. You know, just like you.” We do have the sound bite. Somebody tell me what number it is. I know it’s there. Yeah, number eleven. Here it is. This is yesterday Las Vegas at the National Council of La Raza Luncheon.

BIDEN: I was raised in a… No Horatio Alger story, a normal story. A three-bedroom house, split level, in a new development, in the mid-fifties in Delaware. Those walls were awful thin. I wonder how the hell my parents did it, but that’s a different story.

AUDIENCE: (laughter)

BIDEN: I know you don’t know anything about that!

AUDIENCE: (laughter)

BIDEN: I know none of you in your families have done the same thing!

RUSH: So here he is talking to the Hispanics saying (paraphrased), “Look, I grew up just like you did: A whole bunch of people in a cheap house with thin walls, and I don’t know how my parents did it. I know none of you in your families have done the same thing.” He’s trying to share a commonality with ’em. (interruption) Snerdley, a lot of people think about their parents doing it, and they can’t visualize it. But nobody talks about it! Certainly not vice presidents!

They don’t go to groups, particularly La Raza, and say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah! Remember the car you came here in? Well, it’s like the house you lived in. Well, it was the same for me, and I tell you: All of us were packed in there like sardines and the walls were very thin, and I don’t know how my parents got away with it!” You know, if Romney chooses Condoleezza Rice, we’re not gonna get anything like that from her as vice president. I was at the Horatio Alger dinner where she was inducted into the society a couple years ago.

“I didn’t run for student council president. I don’t see myself in any way in elective office,” Rice told “CBS This Morning” on Tuesday.

The former Secretary of State said the Republican candidate had a “deep bench” of more willing candidates to choose from.

“I’m saying there is no way I will do this, because it’s really not me, I know my strengths. Gov. Romney needs to find someone who wants to run with him,” Rice said. “There are many people who will do it very, very well, and I’ll support the ticket.”

When “CBS This Morning” host Charlie Rose pressed Rice, noting she hadn’t technically said she wouldn’t accept the offer to be vice president, she was more definitive.

“It’s not going to happen — and no,” she said.

I’m going to wrap up today’s post with a quote from “The Great One”, Conservative Talk Show Host Mark Levin. He said it better than I can:

I’ve been thinking during the break because this story broke on my watch — can you imagine? This is actually bad politics not only will Romney be defending Bain right up through the election now he’s going have to be defending Bush and Bush’s policies right up through the election. This is a bad idea. No offense, Condi Rice.

Didn’t they say throughout the Republican primary we had a nominee Romney because he’s the only one who could win? Why am I the only one remembers that?

And these polls, don’t they make you nervous right now? The economy’s on its back. Romney’s running against a true loser who has nothing to offer the country, literally nothing. So he’s a propagandist. So far the Romney team has not been able to cut through it and then you get this John Sununu — who gave us Souter for all those years — walking around like he some kind of smart uncle telling us they are husbanding their resources are just waiting for the right time to unleash on Obama.

Obama’s spending the summer trying to define Romney, successful or not, and Romney’s not spending the summer trying to define Obama, which he must do. So here we are debating Bain capital. And then we’ll be debating RomneyCare. And if he does pick Rice, then will be debating the entire George W. Bush record which is exactly what the Bush people want. Well it’s not what I want.

Now pick a d!@n conservative whose managed something. He’s got a strong bench to choose from and stop playing it safe. That’s my opinion. Nothing personal. Nothing personal. But I mean we’ve got great Governors out there, who are a lot of good and who have shown a lot of courage among other people, by the way. Among others. So let’s get with it. Can’t we win this d!@n race? Can’t we act like we actually want to? Can’t we be confident in our conservatism?

I am. I have my doubts about the GOP, though.

Advertisements

Share this:

Like this:

Related

This entry was posted on July 13, 2012 at 5:22 am and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “Condi Rice for VP? Yes or No?”

Condi has a lot of good qualities and would gather a lot of support, but she has made it clear she has no interest in elected office. Romney is going to have to look elsewhere.

I don’t think he’ll be announcing a running mate this early. All this chatter is just people trying to find something to write news and opinion stories about at a time when the campaign is pretty much in a state of Sitzkrieg.

Never can tell what Team Mitt will do, mostly because they are reacting instead of being proactive. Hopefully, they’ll break out the Perot charts and show America how awful the obamanation’s socialist policies have been — so far…